MCNEESE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HOSTs WILEY COLLEGE TONIGHT AT 6PM(FREE)
Alabama may have won the battle with LSU last Saturday, but it may have a negative impact on the Tide going forward. The physical contest has crippled the Tide to the point of being very thin at linebacker. Shaun Hamilton was just getting back to playing a great linebacker when he tore up his knee again which is ending his career at Bama. Three other linebackers are questionable for Mississippi State this weekend due to injuries that occurred against LSU. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and offensive tackle Jonah Williams did not practice Monday and are questionable this week. ESPNU Radio is calling for “upset alert” for this weekend.
Speaking of upsets, Iowa sporting the nation’s #99 offensive unit exploded for 55 points in upsetting 20 point favorite Ohio State. It is more proof that if you don’t bring your “A” game on the road, you can get beat. Nebraska is now 4-4 in the Big 10 and heading for a change after Northwestern beat them Saturday by the score of 31-24. We almost had a monumental upset in the Southland Conference as Nicholls State scored on the final play of the game with a 50 yard bomb to come from behind and beat HBU.
The McNeese injury situation is almost as drastic as Alabama, but at least some of the main characters remain healthy. The starting lineups proved once again that they mean very little. The Pokes didnot play starting tackle Jimmy Converse, but guard Tyrae Johnson did make it back to the starting lineup on Saturday. Starting safety Damion Morgan was not dressed and replaced by #9 Trent Jackson.
Once a year CBS TV is allowed to pair two SEC games for their Saturday menu. CBS’s contract allows for them to select first and ESPN is then allowed to take the next selection for 7PM on Saturday night. CBS wanted Georgia and Auburn for their 2:30PM prime afternoon game, so ESPN selected Mississippi State and Alabama for their prime time night game. Then for this one time only, CBS is being allowed to televise a national double hitter. So they got third choice and took Florida and South Carolina for 11AM. The last time slot was reserved for ESPN and they took LSU vs Arkansas for 11AM. Every program in Louisiana not called LSU appreciates that. LSU is not happy about it, but they cannot have every night game.
The SEC Network then gets to pick the leftover games for their triple hitter. Ragin’ Cajun fans will get to see ULL vs Ole Miss opposite LSU at 11AM on the SEC Network. Then the network gets Kentucky at Vandy at 3PM, and the night game at 6:30PM will be Tennessee at Missouri. I am sure there will be plenty of eyes on that one.
Social Network for UT fans has been heavily criticized by followers of college football for their demands to fire Butch Jones immediately. Social Media led by crazy fans formed a protest and begged fans to stay home to protest Jones. The idiots are killing the Vols reputation and maybe running off potential coaches as well as players. Those that are loyal fans and are there to support their team are fighting back and sending messages to players that they need not judge the minority of fans who boo, leave the stadium, or who organize fans to not support sponsors and burn their orange gear.
Believe me; neutral observers of college football are responding negatively to the way this is playing out in the state of Tennessee. Some suggest that they need to observe Nebraska for some lessons in supporting the university and the players instead of cutting off their nose in spite of their face.
Former McNeese offensive lineman Beau Morris is starting for Blinn College and has grown into a pretty large tackle. Beau only stayed one year before departing last year for reasons unknown.
The new coaches poll for FCS has Central Arkansas at #3 and Sam Houston #4 on November 6. McNeese comes in at #20 and Nicholls is #26. I am disappointed that all the playoff material I put up yesterday didnot generate any discussion. I guess most fans see it as a long shot and are taking the Jim Mora philosophy. Maybe I was premature on posting the material.
My favorite is the reaction of San Francisco making the playoffs. I think the Pokes have played the two big colleges in Montana, but we need to get this Montana team on the schedule for 2019. We could have a milking contest between Rowdy and their mascot.
Northwestern State Demons are not to be taken lightly this week. The Demons are starving for a win over McNeese and are in the frame of mind to do it. They have won two straight, but more importantly led Sam Houston 24-7 with six minutes to go in the half, and led the entire second half until Sam Houston scored with 1 minute to go to pull out the 40-36 victory. I can tell you from a gambler’s perspective that game three of a three game set in which the first two games were rival games or big games, teams rarely cover when favored the week after those two hard fought games.
McNeese has a senior ball club with some good leadership, so I do not expect a big letdown, but the Pokes will need to match the Demons’ level of intensity on Saturday. There is one little trend that worries me as a gambler. (tongue-in-cheek). I have written about following trends and going with the flow. Well, Coach Orgeron was able to make the Cowboys’ first game of the year at Nicholls State. It did not go well. So Coach was busy for the next seven weeks of Saturday night action until he reached the open date. So the coach took his LSU plane and loaded up the family for Conway, Arkansas. Need I mention the results of this contest. So the Pokes are 7-0 without Coach O and 0-2 with Coach O.
Now we hear ESPN has moved the game to 11AM and it should be completed by 2:30PM. Hum! Coach O graduated from Northwestern State, his boys play at McNeese State, so where do you think that plane maybe headed at about 4:30PM on Saturday? Be’Be’, come on down and enjoy the game. Just don’t blame me if I am carrying a rabbit’s foot around on Saturday. LOL
Zem's Gems 
Coach O, please stay in Baton Rouge! You can watch on ESPN3. 🙂
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LOL I just want us to play well for him and win a ballgame.
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As far as playoffs go, I am of two minds. I think it would be good for the program to get in, but there is little enthusiasm from the fan base. I don’t think we would draw well. I almost would prefer to go on the road as a huge underdog and play with a chip on our shoulder. Somebody suggested we might end up in Huntsville, but they are likely to get a bye. We could go there in round two if we were to win. I wouldn’t mind a trip out west if they make us fly.
We are not in any real position to contend for the title. Our team has exploitable flaws. I would love to get the playoff monkey off our backs.
Some are suggesting we need Nicholls to lose twice. They don’t think we would get in if Nicholls ended up 8-3. We would have the same record as them against FCS and they would have the head-to-head.
I am glad we are having the conversation.
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Yea, I don’t want a home game even if we get in. I would just like to go in as a 20 seed and play a legit 13 seed. I just listen to so many of the FBS commentators on the radio say that the complete body of work is considered rather than just a head to head meeting. At this point of the season, I think all three of the polls including coaches, AP, and Sagarin Rating would have us away ahead of them. If they lose to SFA I would think their Sagarin rating would drop them about 10 points below us and if we win out I think we end up at around 52 rating which will be in the Top 18 of the eligible FCS programs. The Coaches Poll has them 26th right now, but a loss would push them down at least 5 more slots.I could be wrong, but I heard several scenarios where they thought Ohio State had a chance to pass OU if they won out and a team like Auburn would get more love than LSU even though they got beat by them. I hope they consider a 4 point loss in August is not enough to rate them above us if they end up 8-3.
Coaches Poll has Nicholls 17 and MSU 18
College Madness Poll Nicholls 20 MSU 21
STATS FCS POLL MSU 20 Nicholls 26
Sagarin MSU 8 points strong with a 51.4 vs 43.2 for them.
Massey Poll which has 16 computer columns has MSU 30th and NSU 36
This is with them being 7-2, but another loss puts them below us substantially in every poll imaginable. But as you say, there is nothing we can do about it except win out .
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If the SLC by some miracle gets 4 teams you can count on a McNeese Nicholls rematch with the winner getting UCA or Sam. I would like our chances in a rematch.
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I just don’t see four teams getting in. I am thinking if Nicholls gets in and we don’t, they may send them to Kennesaw, Ga. or Furman. I guess we will just have to wait and see how they fare against SFA and SLU.
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I think there is a rule preventing conference matchups in the first round of teams who met in the regular season. IF we are in the playoffs, and IF we would win a first-round game — as does Nicholls — we could be paired with Sam Houston State or Nicholls, but most likely Nicholls would go to UCA since they did not play them in the regular season, and we would go to SHSU, because, unless the selection committee shocks everyone, McNeese or Nicholls would be a low rated seed.
Do I know Nicholls or McNeese would be sent to UCA/Sam Houston? No, but in the years when SLU and Sam did not play in the regular season, they met in the playoffs.
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Good point. No doubt that will match up SLC teams in round two and I think you are correct in NSU would go to Conway and us to Huntsville. However, I am sure either on of us would be on the road so a win is less likely. I just want to play somebody different and see if this team can do a better job of competing than they did at UCA. I just don’t think I have seen all three phases of the game at an A on the same night. It is there if we could put it all together.
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